Umbrella
by Mysteriol
Summary: On Valentine's Day, Daisuke understands that sometimes the simplest gift of all can mean everything to him. DaisukeRiku, postseries.


**Umbrella**

-post series 

"Niwa-kun…"

Harada Riku uttered a whisper as her fingers clutched the ends of her skirt worriedly. She sat on the bench overlooking the horizon beyond the ripples of the ocean at the end of the sea pier and gazed up to the blanket of evening sky.

Coffee-brown eyes implored the dark linings of the clouds, willing it not to rain.

Riku glanced down at her hands. She knew not how long she had waited. An hour, or more? Where was Niwa-kun? Surely he had not forgotten their date?

One droplet landed on her lap. And another, in succession.

Riku tilted her head to the side in hope to catch a silhouette running towards her direction in the distance, but all she saw was the long stretching bricked grounds of the pier. A soft sight escaped her lips, and she looked down to lift the small red box by her side. A ribbon was laced around it, and in simple words, she had written, "Happy Valentine's Day" on it in bold alphabets.

Somewhere in the distance, contemporary love songs were playing. In the skies, swallows flew away with the onset of approaching rain. In the streets, passerbys and workers were rushing home before the bad weather, pacing hastily along footpaths to seek shelter.

Riku stared up to the sky, and was only greeted by the droplets and droplets that danced their way and landed on her eyelashes.

"Niwa-kun.." She whispered for the umpteenth times. It was unlike for him to forget their date the evening on this day. Had something cropped up that made it inevitable of him to meet with her? Or had he simply forgotten, knowing how clumsy and slow he could be at times?

She held the box close to her heart.

On cue, the rain began to pour heavily.

Soaked and drenched, the chills began to get to her. She pulled the ends of her jacket closer to keep herself warm, but her eyes were hemmed with worry and anxiety. What if Niwa-kun got caught in the rain? What if he slipped and fell into a drain and broke his knee? Thoughts after thoughts, each one worst after the latter, plagued her mind till the extent she had to close her eyes to ward them off.

She hoped he would be alright. She would wait for him until he appeared to make sure he was really okay.

Eyes glanced down the same grounds of the pier once again.

No silhouette, no running shadowy figure. Only the air of invisibility and raindrops pelting against the bricked path.

Riku sneezed. She rubbed her hands together. It was really getting too cold today.

Where was Niwa-kun?

Shivering a little, she carefully placed the red box into her pocket to keep it dry and looked towards the thin line of horizon.

She waited.

She was getting really too cold, and she now relented to the trembles that shook her petite frame. The sneezes were coming more than occasionally, and her jacket was no longer capable of providing the least bit of warmth.

"Niwa-kun…" The wind carried away her whisper.

A tear hung at the end of her eyelashes.

Raindrops fused with tears on her wet cheeks gradually. One by one.

For a long while, the lone girl sat by the pier on the bench, sheltering the one present under her jacket as she desperately tried to keep it dry with her hands.

And then miraculously, she heard hurried footsteps that paced hastily along the bricked grounds.

"Riku-san! Riku-san!"

_Niwa-kun? _

Riku turned around to make out something amidst the foggy haze of the rain. It was really raining too hard to catch a thorough glimpse of the figure making its way up to her. But it closed the distance, and red spikey hair began to make its appearance, along with the frame of a boy with worried crimson eyes.

In his hands, he held an umbrella.

Her eyes lit up with hope and sheer joy as she stood up.

He continued to make his way towards her, never stopping despite the breathlessness that was catching up with him.

And somewhere along the pier, they found their way towards each other and embraced.

"Niwa-kun!" The tears were flowing freely now. "Where were you? I thought something awful happened to you."

He took her hands and looked into her eyes. At the sight of her being drenched, his eyes swirled with indefinable emotions.

"I'm sorry, Riku-san! Ojii-san was ill, and I had to take care of him," He was explaining hurriedly and desperately, hoping it would make her understand, "But when it started to rain and I thought you might still be waiting, I tried to take a shortcut through the forest and make my way here but--"

Despite the cold and chills, she smiled up at him, "But you got lost, Niwa-kun?"

He nodded and encased his arms around her waist, "I'm sorry, Riku-san! I wanted to call you up, but Harada-san said you were already outside! I didn't mean to make you wait and be drenched out in the rain and--"

She placed a finger to his lips. Her cheeks were coloring by the way he was holding her and so earnestly explaining his situation towards her. She beamed up at him to reassure him it was okay.

"It's okay, you're here now, isn't it?"

He shook his head and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Sorry, Riku-san, I didn't mean to make you worried and all, and now you're wet all over and--"

She sneezed.

His eyes softened in a mixture of guilt and love. He pulled her closer to his side so her head rested on his shoulder and held the umbrella above them.

"And now you caught a cold." He finished quietly.

He felt her shake her head, and he looked down to catch her eyes.

"I'll be fine. I'm just glad you're okay."

"I'm sorry, Riku-san, I--"

"Say sorry again and I won't talk to you anymore."

He closed his mouth and looked forlorn for a while, torn between the many things he must do to make up for causing her to wait for him in the rain.

"Is there anything I can do to make up for you, Riku-san?" He looked into her eyes earnestly, his arms wrapped around her securely as if afraid she would abruptly release herself from his grasp anytime.

When she returned his gaze, her eyes were smiling.

"Take care of me when I catch a cold after this?"

It was a simple request, and somewhat made out of humor with the light teasing tone lacing her voice, but he took it in his stride seriously, and nodded. He lifted a finger to comb the wet strands of her hair.

"Yes, Riku-san."

She colored again. She was doing that too often around him when he showed her such affections. "I was only joking, Niwa-kun."

"But I'm serious." His eyes were earnest and sincere, and the pink twinges on his cheeks made him look all the more boyish and adorable under the microscopic aurora hues reflected from the evening rainy sky.

She never stopped blushing as she remembered the present tugged carefully under her jacket. She searched her pocket, and pulled out the small red box and held it out towards him.

His eyes rounded, and innocently pointed to himself. 'For me?' his lips mouthed the words in surprise.

Cheeks splashed with pink, she nodded.

He accepted it with a smile. "Can I open it?"

She nodded, suddenly taking full interest of the ground. She wasn't sure if he would liked it though.

He undid the ribbon around it, and lifted the cover of the box.

Her eyes refused to meet his. It was only a simple gift, anyway. No big deal about it. She did not want to look up only to see his disappointed face and crestfallen eyes.

"Anou, it's not much. Please don't be upset if you don't like it, I promise I'll save up enough for you next time to get you something better than this." She said quietly.

"Riku?" He spoke her name alone, and it sounded so innocent, so boyish, so pure from his lips. Feelings unfurled from the pit of her stomach, making her feel warm and funny all of a sudden.

She dared not look up. There was silence for awhile, and she assumed he really, really had not liked her present.

"I'm sorry, Niwa-kun, I promise I'll really get you something--"

She could not finish her sentence. With gentle fingers placed under her chin to tilt her head up, he had leant in too quickly for her to respond to his kiss.

Her head missed a beat, and her knees seemed to lose its strength for a while, as Daisuke brushed his lips across hers in a swift, quick movement. But in that single show of affection, there was love and gentleness in it.

He pulled away as quickly as he had leant in, and smiled earnestly into her surprised face. Still, there was no denying the pink colors sewn onto his cheeks.

Silence.

He held up the present she had given to him in between his fingers.

"Arigatou, Riku-san. It means a lot to me."

She had given him a single long, white ribbon.

His eyes held hers for a long moment, before he scratched his head boyishly. "I guess Okaa-san told you about Otto-san and her story?"

Riku smiled brightly and nodded. "Kawaii, ne?"

He thought for a moment, before brushing a thumb across her cheek. "Ah."

And then, a sudden thought him him with shame, and he looked away hurriedly. "Anou, Riku-san, I'm really sorry but--"

She giggled with understanding. "It's okay." She knew he had forgotten to bring his Valentine's Day present for her, but it was fine to her. As long as she was able to feel his presence for this day alone, it would suffice.

He looked doubtful. He really thought he was becoming a jerk for first, letting the person most important to him catch a cold, and second, for forgetting her present when she had given his.

"Is there anything I can do right now as a form of my present to you?" He asked her, inwardly wrecking his brains to think of something, anything, to give to her. He really had been an awful person towards her today, and she had been so understanding by not minding.

Riku was about to respond, when she sneezed again.

He bit his lips. "Riku-san…" He really wanted to do anything to make it up for her.

She looked to the ground for awhile, before gazing into his eyes. The sprinkles of pink on her face could not be missed, and her heart multiplied its poundings.

She then smiled brightly at him.

"Can you kiss me again, Niwa-kun?"

**Owari **

_A/N: _

_Horribly sappy, lengthy and OOC. What was I doing? _

_Okay, be merciful already and review…because it's Valentines Day anyway. Heh, so wishing all a very happy Valentine's Day today! Excuse my overly inclusion of waff and fluff in here. I'm beginning to grimace at the overwhelming sugar in this fic, it's making me cringe abit…GAH!_

_Be nice and drop a review!_

_mysterio000_


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